The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Recently, technology has been developed to mount a solar cell panel to the upper surface of a roof panel, or to the tempered glass of a sunroof or a panorama roof of a vehicle body. This technology is applicable to an environment-friendly vehicle such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), an electric vehicle (EV), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) as it tends to use the electric power generated by the solar cell in the vehicle.
For example, when the interior temperature of the vehicle increases during the summer, the electric power generated by a solar cell can be used to operate a fan, thereby lowering the interior temperature of the vehicle, reducing the amount of use of an air conditioner, and improving the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. As such, the solar cell can be used as an eco-friendly energy source in the vehicle.
On the other hand, technology for controlling the sunroof while constantly maintaining an electrical connection between the vehicle body and the roof panel has been also developed.
There have been many attempts to utilize the energy accumulated by the solar cell panel mounted to the sunroof of the vehicle to propel the vehicle through electric wires or electrodes which enable constant electrical connection between the sunroof or the panorama roof and the vehicle body, and further to improve the efficiency of use of the accumulated energy by maintaining the electrical connection while a moving part of the sunroof is still moving.
A conventional technology associated with a roof panel having a solar cell panel is disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1428215 (Aug. 1, 2014).
However, in a case where a solar cell is mounted to a sunroof or a panorama roof of the vehicle body, as passenger opens or closes the sunroof of a panorama roof of the vehicle, the solar cell bonded to the roof glass also moves. This movement of the moving part may cause an electrical disconnection and eventually make it difficult to hold energy during movement.